Shinpei Nakayama Popular Songs Ranking [2026]

teru teru bozu (a traditional Japanese handmade doll hung to wish for good weather)Sakushi: Asahara Kyōson / Sakkyoku: Nakayama Shinpei1rank/position

Teru Teru Bozu [children’s song] ☆A song that makes babies happy☆

It’s a simple, endearing children’s song in which one sings to a little doll made from a white cloth on a rainy day, wishing for clear skies.

Akihito Asahara’s lyrics express a child’s pure feelings directly, charmingly depicting the innocent, forthright emotions that move from promising a golden bell as thanks to even threatening to cut off its head if the wish isn’t granted.

First published in 1921 in the magazine “Shōjo no Tomo” and officially released the following year, the piece has been loved by many thanks to Shinpei Nakayama’s friendly melody.

It’s the perfect song for when you’re eagerly awaiting the end of the rain or want to bask in nostalgic feelings.

soap bubbleSakushi: Noguchi Ujō / Sakkyoku: Nakayama Shinpei2rank/position

Soap Bubbles (♪ The Bubbles Flew) by Himawari 🌻 with Lyrics | Children's Song [Japan’s 100 Best Songs] | Bubbles

Here’s a beloved children’s song that never fails to capture kids’ hearts! You can almost picture soap bubbles floating gently up into the sky in time with the melody.

This classic was created through the collaboration of Ujo Noguchi and Shinpei Nakayama, with the poem published in 1922.

The lyrics convey the beauty and fragility of fleeting life.

It’s a wonderful song for teaching children the value of life through the simple play of blowing bubbles.

It’s perfect not only for singing in nurseries and kindergartens, but also for enjoying together as a family.

Cherished across generations, this piece brings warm, heartwarming moments.

Height comparisonSakushi: Umino Atsushi / Sakkyoku: Nakayama Shinpei3rank/position

Height Comparison – Sei Kurabe | The mark on the pillar was from the year before last [Japanese Song / Shoka]

As Children’s Day approaches, many people may find themselves recalling the marks on the pillar.

This children’s song, written by Atsushi Unno with his younger brother in mind—seventeen years his junior—depicts a warm scene where the older brother measures his little brother’s height.

It is said that the lyrics also capture the loneliness of not having met the previous year, preserved as a two-year record.

With music composed by Shinpei Nakayama, it was published as a collection of sheet music in May 1923.

The song has continued to be sung for many years and was selected in 2007 as one of the “100 Best Japanese Songs.” As you feel the May breeze, why not look back on nostalgic memories with your siblings and family? Enjoy this seasonal song with a bright, uplifting spirit, as if gazing up at the majestic Mount Fuji.

rainfallsakushi: kitahara hakushū / sakkyoku: nakayama shinpei4rank/position

Rainfall ♪ [Children’s song] Rain, rain, fall, fall—Mother will

A children’s song born from lyrics by the poet Hakushu Kitahara and music by composer Shinpei Nakayama, who created numerous popular songs.

It was selected as one of the 100 Best Japanese Songs, and many people likely remember its lively melody that evokes the carefree innocence described in the lyrics.

In fact, there is an urban legend that it depicts a child waiting for a sick mother, and it is said that uttering the lyrics from the third verse onward—there are five verses in total—will bring a curse.

There is even an anecdote that schools forbid singing all the verses.

It’s a children’s song that carries rumors unimaginable from its bright image.

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Hoshino Takashi

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Shōjōji’s Raccoon Dog Festival MusicSakushi: Noguchi Ujō / Sakkyoku: Nakayama Shinpei5rank/position

[Children’s Song] Shojōji’s Tanuki Parade / Daisuke Yokoyama

Published in 1924, this song may seem like a cheerful tune that conjures up the image of raccoon dogs drumming on their bellies with a “pon poko” beat.

In fact, however, the lyricist Ujo Noguchi is said to have based the lyrics on a ghost story called “Tanuki Bayashi.” In the tale, festival music can be heard from nowhere in particular; even if you walk toward the direction of the sound, you can’t discover its source.

And as you keep searching for where the sound is coming from, before you know it you’ve wandered into an unfamiliar place.

It’s a light, lively melody that you’d never expect to have such a creepy ghost story as its origin.

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Hane Keisuke

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Rabbit DanceSakushi: Noguchi Ujō / Sakkyoku: Nakayama Shinpei6rank/position

[Children’s Song] Rabbit Dance / Daisuke Yokoyama

It’s a lively, bouncy tune.

It was published in May 1924 in the magazine Kodomo no Kuni.

The lyrics were written by Ujō Noguchi, known for songs like “Seven Baby Crows” and “Soap Bubbles,” and the music was composed by Shinpei Nakayama, who created many children’s songs such as “Teru Teru Bozu” and “Back-to-Back.” The song depicts rabbits dancing lightly, with the onomatopoeic “taratta, ratta” echoing pleasantly.

As Shinpei Nakayama himself indicated with the performance note “with bounce and extremely briskly,” it’s best sung brightly and energetically.

It’s also nice to sing it together with friends at a facility, enjoying handclaps and swaying your bodies.

On a calm autumn afternoon, why not hum it and feel like a child again?

soap bubbleNakayama Shimpei7rank/position

Soap Bubbles [Recorder] Children's Song with Do-Re-Mi-Fa Sheet Music

If you’re looking for a well-known song that seems easy to play, how about this one? Although it was published as a children’s song in 1923, there’s no way to confirm it now that the author has passed away, but it’s said that the lyricist, Ujō Noguchi, wrote it with a requiem-like intention for the child he lost.

Thinking of it that way, you realize that even this song, which feels cheerful, has unexpected depth.

The clear tone of the recorder suits the song’s fragility very well.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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